Sludge remover and agitator for gas-generators.



W. E. DRESSEL.

SLUDGE REMOVER AND AGITATOR FOR GAS GENERATORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. I915.

Patented May 9, 1916.

3mm W E. DRESSEL OORAPN C0.. WASHING WARREN E. DRESSEL, OF EDWARDSVILLE,ILLINOIS.

SLUDGE BEMOVER AND AGITATOR FOR GAS-GENERATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Original application filed February 27, 1915, Serial No. 11,012. Dividedand this application filed May 8,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WARREN E. DRESSEL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Edwardsville, in the county ofMadison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Sludge Removers and Agitators for GasGenerat0rs, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawmgs.

This invention relates to acetylene gas generators, and moreparticularly to improvements in the sludge removing and agitating meanstherefor and means whereby water may be filled into the generator, thisapplication being a division of the application filed by me foracetylene gas generator, on February 27, 1915, Serial No. 11,012.

The primary object of this invention is the provision, in connectionwith the sludge removing and water inlet pipe, of agitating blades, avalve, and common means for either rotating the valve to control theentrance of water to the generating chamber or control the removal ofsludge therefrom, or for rotating said blades.

A further object of the invention is the provision of agitator bladesdisposed within the bottom of the generating chamber, and the provisionof a shaft adapted to be connected either to the agitator blades or to avalve controlling the passage of water into the generating chamber orthe removal of sludge therefrom, and further in the means whereby theshaft may be operatively connected to a motor when disconnected from thevalve so as to cause the actuation of the agitating blades.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of an acetylene gas 'enerator with myimprovements applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of thesludge removing and the water inlet valve; Fig. 3 is a fragmentaryvertical sectional view showing the connection between the motor and thevalve and the agitator shaft; Fig. 1 is a cross section on the line 41of Fig. 3 with the shaft and key disengaged from the gear Wheel.

. In Fig. 1 I have shown the general features of an acetylene gasgenerator such as described in detail and claimed in my pend- Serial No.26,887.

ing application before referred to, of which apphcation this is adivision. In these figures, 2 designates the exterior tank or containerwhich may be cylindrical in form and closed by a removable cover 3.Entering into the lower portion of this tank is a pipe 4; whereby watermay be admitted to the lower portion of the tank or sludge withdrawntherefrom. This pipe 4 at its outer end extends upward, as at 5, abovethe ground line, and is provided at its upper end with a funnel 6whereby water may be filled into the tank, this funnel being removableto permit the application of a sludge removing ,pum-p dr other sludgeremoving means to the pipe.

The passage of water through the pipe 4 into the tank, or the passage ofsludge out of the tank, is controlled by means of a valve 7 which isillustrated in Fig. 2 as a rotatable valve and disposed within a valvecasing 7 This valve is adapted to be retated by a means which will behereafter described. The upper portion of the tank is divided from thelower portion by means of a cylindrical member having a head 9 anddownwardly extending walls 10. This wall 10 at its lower end isconnected to the wall of the container by means of a web 11. The member9 has the form of a segment of a circle so as to provide room for acarbid chamber 16 which extends downward from the upper end of the tank2 to the web 11. From the chamber 16 extends a delivery tube 20, andsuitable means is provided for feeding carbid through this deliverytube. Inasmuch as this means has nothing to do with the presentinvention, and inasmuch as it is fully described in my prior applicationabove referred to, I have not considered it necessary to illustrate ordescribe this carbid feeding means.

Disposed above the member 9 is a gas bell 24 having a depending sidewall 25 which extends into the space between the wall 10 and the wall ofthe tank 2, and on one side between the wall 10 and the wall of thecarbid casing 16. This bell 24 dips into the water which surrounds thewall 10 and thus the gas bell is sealed.- The pipe 27 opens i into thespace below the web 11 and into the space above the head 9 so as topermit the passage of gas from the generating chamher into the gas bell24, and this pipe is provided with a valve, designated generally 52,

whereby the entrance of gas into the pipe 27 from the generating chambermay be prevented and gas from the chamber may be allowed to flow ofithrough the-pipe 51. The bell 24 is connected by means of a chain 38 toa pivoted arm 37 which in turn controls the carbid feed through theshaft 32.

For the purpose of operating the valve 7, I provide the verticallyextending shaft 42 which passes through a tube 41 which has gas-tightconnection with the upper and lower end of the casing 16, and whichextends down into the water contained in the lower portion of the tank 2and is thus sealed from the passage of gas. The lower end of the shaft42 carries upon it agitator blades 43. The lower end of the shaft isformed to provide a head 44, many sided in form, which passes throughthe web connecting the agitator blades, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, andthis head is adapted to engage with a socket formed in the upwardly 6X-tending valve stem 8 on the valve 7 A spring 45 encircles the lower endof the shaft 42 and bears at its upper end against the collar, while thelower end of the spring bears against the agitator blades. The agitatorblades have rotatable engagement with the valve casing both when theshaft 42 is depressed and when it is in its raised position. The spring45 normally urges the shaft 42 upward so as to carry the head 44 out ofengagement with the valve. Therefore the agitators 43 may be ordinarilyrotated by a suitable motor without affecting the valve, but when it isdesired to engage the shaft 42 with the head 8, the shaft 42 is manuallydepressed, which depression, as will be hereafter explained, carries itout of engagement with the motor mechanism and then the shaft 42 may berotated by means of a wrench applied to its upper end, thus opening orclosing the valve 7 While I do not wish to limit myself to the use of amotor connection with the shaft 42, as the shaft might be rotated byhand to operate the agitator blades, yet preferably I provide anelectrical motor 49, which may be of any suitable construction and whichmay be geared in any desired manner to the shaft 42 in a way which willpermit the shaft 42 to have vertical movement and which will disconnectthe shaft 42 from the motor upon the depression of the shaft. Thus, asillustrated in Fig. 3, the shaft carries upon it a spline or feather 46,which, when the shaft is raised, engages in the key Way 47 formed in thegear wheel 48, which gear wheel is operatively connected to the motor49. Thus when the shaft is raised under the action of the spring 45, theshaft will be operatively engaged with the motor and rotated thereby tocause the rotation of the agitator blades 43. When it is desired tooperate the valve, the manhole cover in the top of the tated toestablish or disestablish communication between the pipe 4 and theinterior of the generating chamber. At this time water may be filledinto the generating chamber through the pipe 6, or the sludge in thebottom of the generating chamber may be removed.

W'hile I have illustrated certain details of construction as regards thevalve and the manner in which the shaft 42 is engaged therewith and themanner in which the shaft 42 engages the agitator blades, and alsocertain details of construction with regard to the engagement of theshaft with the gear 48, I wish it understood that these details might bechanged or modified Without de parting from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a gas generator, a generating chamber, a pipe entering thegenerating chamber and adapted to permit the inlet of water or theremoval of sludge, a valve controlling passage through said pipe, arotatable shaft having means whereby it may be entirely engaged with ordisengaged from the said valve, and agitator blades carried upon theshaft, said shaft when disengaged from the valve operating to rotate theagitator a plurality of times without in any way affecting the valve.

2. In a gas generator, a generating chamher, a pipe entering thegenerating chamber and forming the means whereby water may' be filledinto the generating chamber or sludge removed therefrom, a valvecontrolling the passage through said pipe, a vertically movablerotatable shaft normally yieldingly supported out of engagement with thevalve but depressihle into rotative engagement with the valve, andagitator blades carried by the shaft.

3. In a gas generator, a generating chamber, a pipe entering thegenerating chamber and forming means whereby water may be filledthereinto or sludge removed therefrom, a valve controlling the passagethrough said pipe, a rotatable shaft vertically movable into operativeconnection with said valve but normally held from said cally movableinto operative connection with said valve but normally held from saidconnection, agitator blades carried upon the shaft, and motor operatedmeans for rotating said shaft.

5. In a gas generator, a generator chamber, a pipe entering said chamberand forming the means whereby water may be filled into said chamber orsludge removed therefrom, a valve controlling the passage of waterthrough the pipe, a vertically movable shaft extending through thegenerator and adapted at its lower end to rotatively engage said valvewhen the shaft is depressed, a spring normally holding the shaft raisedfrom its engagement with the valve, agitator blades carried on theshaft, and means whereby the shaft may be manually rotated.

6. In a gas generator, a generating chamber, a pipe entering saidchamber and forming the means whereby water may be filled into saidchamber or sludge removed therefrom, a valve controlling the passage ofwater through the pipe, a vertically movable shaft extending through thegenerator and adapted at its lower end to rotatively engage said valvewhen the Shaft is depressed, a spring normally holding the shaft raisedfrom its engagement with the valve, agitator blades carried on theshaft. means whereby the shaft may be manually rotated, and meanswhereby the shaft may be rotated by power.

7. In a gas generator, a gas generating chamber, a pipe entering saidchamber and forming the means whereby water may be filled into saidchamber and sludge removed therefrom, a valve controlling the passagethrough the pipe having a socket in its upper end, a vertically movableshaft extending through the generator and adapted at its lower end toengage said socket when the shaft is depressed to rotate said valve, aspring normally holding the shaft out of engagement with the socket,agitator blades carried on the shaft, and motor operated means forrotating the shaft when it is raised. said shaft when depressed beingdisconnected from the motor operated means and rotatable by hand.

8. In a generator, a generating chamber, a valve controlling theentrance of liquid to or the passage of sludge from the chamber, anagitator disposed within the chamber, and a single operating means forthe valve and the agitator shiftable into operative engagement with thevalve or entirely out of operative engagement therewith, and at thistime permitting the agitator to be rotated a plurality of revolutionswithout affecting the valve.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

IVARREN E. DRESSEL.

\Vitnesses:

HAROLD B. SANDERS,

A. T. WOLF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

